UNSTOPPABLE – Top 5 Movie Reviews. Worth Seeing?

Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team. But it will demand everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA Champion.

TOP 5 REVIEWS:

Maureen Lee Lenker – Entertainment Weekly

https://ew.com/unstoppable-review-sports-drama-has-its-heart-in-the-right-place-8710054

Marya E. Gates – RogerEbert.com

https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/tiff-2024-unstoppable-triumph-april

David Rooney – Hollywood Reporter

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/unstoppable-review-jharrel-jerome-jennifer-lopez-1235994309/

Johnny Oleksinski – New York Post

https://nypost.com/2024/09/07/entertainment/unstoppable-tiff-review-jennifer-lopez-stars-in-a-fantastic-inspiring-sports-movie/

VIDEO REVIEW:

THE WILD ROBOT – TOP 5 Reviews. Best film of the year?

The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot–ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

TOP 5 REVIEWS:

Christy Lemire – Film Week

https://laist.com/shows/filmweek/filmweek-megalopolis-lee-amber-alert-and-more

Wendy Ide – Observer

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/oct/20/the-wild-robot-review-dreamworks-chris-sanders-lupita-nyongo-roz-peter-brown

Michael A. Smith – MediaMikes

Tom Meek – Cambridge Day

TOP VIDEO REVIEW:

GLADIATOR II film – Top 5 Reviews (Worth Seeing?)

Watch the best of Films now by signing up for the FREE 7 Day trial. New Festival Daily: https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Synopsis:

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Director: Ridley Scott

Writers: David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni

Stars: Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington

Top 5 REVIEWS:

Nick Curtis – London Evening Standard:

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/gladiator-ii-review-paul-mescal-pedro-pascal-ridley-scott-rome-b1193327.html

Amber Wilkinson – Eye for Film:

https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gladiator-ii-2024-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson

Luke Buckmaster – Flicks

https://www.flicks.com.au/features/the-sharks-scene-is-everything-thats-wrong-with-gladiator-2/

Hanna Flint – The New Arab

https://www.newarab.com/features/gladiator-ii-bigger-and-bolder-lacking-originals-depth

BEYOND THE TRAILER Video Review:

RED ONE film – Best of Reviews (Worth Seeing?)

Watch the best of Films now by signing up for the FREE 7 Day trial. New Festival Daily: https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Synopsis:
After Santa Claus (code name: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

Director: Jake Kasdan

Writers: Chris Morgan, Hiram Garcia

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt

 

Top Reviews:

Jack Coyle – Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/red-one-movie-review-9d15f717bba7073f08645574b4c78de4

Travis Hopson – Punch Drunk Critics
https://punchdrunkcritics.com/2024/11/review-red-one/

Chalice Williams – Black Girl Nerds
https://blackgirlnerds.com/review-dwayne-johnson-and-chris-evans-delivers-in-the-holiday-action-comedy-red-one/

Zack Pope – Zack Pope Review
https://youtu.be/XkGlHhoUqeQ

Mark Kermode reviews Red One – Kermode and Mayo’s Take

Film Trailer:

Short Film Review: An Advert for One Night. Directed by Graham Birch

Lisa responds to a newspaper advert to meet Sarah in a hotel room for a night. They meet and have a wonderful night that sadly uncovers that one was badly abused and the other is currently suffering serious mental and physical bullying from a partner. Will this allow them to bond? What will they do?

Review by Andie Karvelis:

Ever hear the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? That applies to this film, except maybe we should say “Don’t judge a film by its title”. An Advert for One Night begins with a deceptively simple concept that soon propels you into a much deeper and emotional story. Graham Birch wrote and directed this short film about Lisa answering Sarah’s advert in the newspaper and the bond that forms between them. This unfolds beautifully and answers the viewers immediate questions about the film’s premise. Director of Photography, Ross Yeandle did a wonderful job and was incredibly smart with the lighting. I loved the lighting change to let us know that both our leads were attracted to each other. Plus the music choices the filmmakers picked were spot on.


Valery Danko and Alina Tamara portrayed Lisa and Sarah and they had a lovely rapport on screen together. I believed they were attracted to one another, and when they shared the personal trauma they’d been through, it felt real to me. Their playful banter during the montage section was really well done, I wish there was more of that prior to the discovery of the trauma each had been through.

To tell this powerful and moving story in just 15 minutes felt a little rushed. I wanted it to be longer because it is such an impactful film that tugs on your heartstrings. All in all, Graham Birch and his team created a wonderful film that leaves you feeling hopeful.

Short Film Review: Asim Khan “AK” | PARKOUR – Discover the differences between Parkour and Freerunning

Pakistan native Asim Khan Yousafzai is more than a freerunner: he is a teacher, a fighter, and above all, a survivor. As a child, he lived through the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Freerunner Asim Khan explains how he rose above limited resources to become a hero.

Directed by Ali Imran Ch

Executive Producer: Albert Crane

https://youreverydayheroes.com/hero/ali-imran-ch/

https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Review by Julie Sheppard:

This exhilarating short film Asim Khan “AK” | Parkour inspires the viewer to embrace dreams against all odds. Asim Khan allows us to see his path from being exposed to the horrors of the tragic Pakistan earthquake of 2005 (with heartbreaking video footage of the quake and the resulting carnage), to displaying his repeated acrobatic attempts and failures, to recounting his wildly successful career as a freerunner. 

The swift, inquisitive eye of the camera catches Asim’s intense athleticism as he jumps, twists, and flips — extreme close ups allow us to see his determined facial expressions and his agile limbs doing the work. It is thrilling to hear his underdog story about how he moved from enduring ridicule from others at the start of his pursuit, to being highly respected and honoured for his gravity-defying craft. The rapid-fire shots of him (and his equally determined teammates) running through the streets and scaling cement buildings were particularly electrifying. 

It would be remiss not to mention the film’s soundtrack — moving from gloomy ominous refrains during the earthquake footage, to powerful rhythmic sounds during the dizzying parkour/freerunning scenes. Despite his painful struggles in the aftermath of the earthquake, the film proves that Asim is still able to fulfill his dream to literally “fly on earth”.  

Short Film Review: Daniel Came Home. Directed by Brian Gregory

A dead soldier comes back from the grave to confront his abusive, fascist father.

Project Links

Review by Parker Jesse Chase:

In Daniel Came Home, written and directed by Brian Gregory, the opening words, “Daniel is down & I think he is dead,” immediately jolt the audience into a state of alertness. Before we can settle into what might follow, the title card appears, confirming Daniel is, indeed, alive. However, the journey that follows is not the homecoming one expects to be welcomed with.


Set in a stark, black-and-white world, we meet Daniel, played by Adam Eveson, as he rocks on a chair—an image as eerie as it is telling of his fractured mental state. The atmosphere of the film, almost suffocating in its minimalism, allows the tension to build slowly, and we soon learn the man sitting across from him is his father, Jack, portrayed by David Keyes. The film unfolds with a simmering, quiet intensity, where the past collides violently with the present.


The heart of the story lies in their confrontation—rooted in family traditions, military service, and ultimately, a son’s rage against the abusive, fascist authority of his father. Daniel’s physical appearance, marred by facial scars and a disquieting tension in his movements, reflects the trauma that haunts him. His identity as a soldier, shattered by war, has left him no longer human but something primal, monstrous. He refers to himself as the “angel of death,” declaring both he and his father will be dead by sunrise. This line delivers a gut punch, foreshadowing the inevitability of their tragic end.


The performances are intense, particularly in the verbal sparring between father and son. Jack’s accusation, “You’re a monster,” and Daniel’s chilling response, “You created me,” reveal the film’s core: the destructive inheritance of violence and trauma. The moment Daniel shoots his father, the film becomes less about the act itself and more about the cold, intimate aftermath. Daniel cradles his father’s corpse with an unsettling tenderness, as though the bloodshed has finally brought him peace.


Daniel Came Home delves into the ravages of war, not just on the body but on the soul, highlighting how both the battlefield and the domestic sphere can become arenas of violence. In Daniel’s final moments, as he army crawls out of the room—triggered by PTSD flashbacks—it’s clear this film is about the emotional toll of war and the inescapable grip of family legacies. Brian Gregory’s direction, combined with haunting musical compositions that distinguish both Daniel and Jack, adds layers of emotional texture to the short’s grim, inevitable conclusion. Based on Gregory’s story Daniel from “The Fifth BHF Book of Horror Stories”, the film offers a chilling exploration of familial ruin, revenge, and the unrelenting scars left by both war and patriarchal oppression.


Daniel Came Home leaves a deep, unsettling impression—a compelling narrative bearing witness to the psychological horrors of abuse and the devastation of unresolved trauma.

Short Film Review: Alex LeVesque | Mentoring Gang Members with Classic Cars

Alex LeVesque is the founder of the Automotive Mentoring Group (AMG), a nonprofit that works to counter gang violence in the city of Chicago, Illinois. The organization recruits gang members from across the city and teaches them the skills needed to build careers as auto mechanics, thus giving a chance at reform to those who would otherwise likely fall victim to violence in the streets.

Directed by John Snyder

Executive Producer: Albert Crane

https://youreverydayheroes.com/video/alex-levesque/

https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Review by Andie Karvelis:

Your Everyday Heroes film group introduces us to Alex LeVesque, the CEO and founder of the AMG ( Automotive Mentoring Group ) in Chicago. This non-profit organization works to counter gang violence by giving gang members the opportunity to learn the skill sets needed to become auto mechanics as well as restoring vintage cars. However, Alex provides so much more than just that.


Alex and the AMG have created a community that gives gang members a choice at what kind of life they want to lead. Teaching them how to restore classic cars from the 1930’s all the way up to 1970’s. Alex is not only a mentor but a friend, big brother and positive role model in their lives showing them they can make another choice away from gang life. Alex truly has made a massive difference in so many young adults’ lives.


The cinematography in this film was wonderful, the vibrancy of the colors and high definition detail was perfect. The filmmakers did a wonderful job with the interview and how it was edited. Chicago is lucky to have Alex LeVesque and it was a joy to see the work he is doing.

Short Film Review: I’M NOT A ROBOT. Directed by Victoria Warmerdam

OSCAR Winning Film for Best Live-Action Short film in 2025!!!!

After repeatedly failing Captcha tests, music producer Lara becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: could she be a robot?

Review by Julie Sheppard:

The short film I’m Not a Robot is a fictional tale, but it is so convincing that a viewer can almost believe in its validity. There are so many corporations using AI these days, instead of real humans, that the film’s premise does not stray too far from the truth. The performer playing Lara does a stellar job infusing her character with a wide variety of “human-like” emotions such as annoyance, doubt, embarrassment, anger and eventual desperation. The performers playing the sheepish, cowardly Daniel and the cold, dismissive Pam serve as superb foils to Lara, as she passionately defends her humanness. 

Most of us are familiar with the rather annoying CAPTCHA test. After viewing this film, it will be forever hard to forget what we witnessed; when doing our obligatory CAPTCHA tests, we might ponder the surreal idea that we are all just bots, too — so much of our human connection has a technical element dividing us because of the computer generation in which we live.   

The choice to play a version of the Radiohead song “Creep” to frame the film at the top and end is smart, encouraging us to question if we really are all “special”, or replaceable by technology. Suitable office and stairwell locations and the parking garage, in particular, serves the narrative for the jarring, unexpected ending. This intriguing film gives us existential pause and does a fabulous job blurring fact from fiction.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video from the Female FEEDBACK Film Festival:

Submit your Film & Screenplay to the Female FEEDBACK Film Festival:

Short Film Review: PLASTIC TOURISM documentary. Directed by Ira Setiawati

“Plastic Tourism” is more than a documentary; it challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. It is a call to action and testament of the delicate balance between human leisure and environmental responsibility.

Review by Victoria Angelique:

The documentary film, PLASTIC TOURISM, showcases people that are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the plastic waste that floods their coastal shores. They want the rubbish to stop, but in the meantime have to find a way to repurpose it in an attempt to clean up their land. It seems like a never ending cycle that as more is cleaned, more trash is washed ashore. 

The locals are innovative with the solutions to the plastic that is constantly washing up on their beaches from the ocean and filling their landfills. The children craft creative toys and artwork from the rubbish collected, using hot glue and the materials to connect the pieces together. Women repurpose plastic bottles to build what they call “ecobricks” for home foundations by using dried out pieces of plastic stuffed inside that other locals have separated by weight and material, then prepared for the foundation. The people of Gunung Sewu live by the motto “anything can be sold”. 

The most remarkable thing about this documentary is not the fact that this land is covered with rubbish, but that the locals remain happy and still consider life a blessing. They don’t complain about what the world is doing to their land, but find a way to repurpose the materials and set an example to the rest of the world. They clean up as best they can, longing for the day their beaches will be clean again, but continue to use what washes ashore to build their land. The people of Gunung Sewu show that anything can be reused, though it would be better to take care of the Earth.